What Channel Is the Nba Game on Sling
If you want to watch your favorite NBA team, DISH guarantees that you'll get every NBA game this season. The provider's America's Top 200 package includes the major channels for NBA games and lets you subscribe to NBA League Pass or NBA Team Pass for full season coverage.
For cord-cutters, Sling TV, YouTube TV, or a standalone NBA League Pass subscription are the best way to watch nationally broadcast NBA games.
The channels you'll need to watch NBA games
Throughout the 2021–22 regular season, the NBA will air 273 nationally televised games across ABC (19), ESPN (82), TNT (65), and NBA TV (107). These games only make up 22% of the NBA regular season, so you'll want to add your local regional sports network (RSN) and a NBA League Pass subscription to get complete NBA coverage.
An RSN will give you every non-nationally televised game featuring your local NBA team, while NBA League Pass will give you every non-nationally televised game featuring teams not in your region.
Best for hardcore NBA fans: DISH Network
Price: Starts at $89.99/mo.* plus cost of NBA League Pass
NBA channels: ABC, ESPN, TNT, NBA TV, and NBA League Pass
Availability: In-market and out-of-market games
Pros
- In-market and out-of-market coverage
- 16 simultaneous streams
Cons
- High price
- 2-year commitment
DISH's America's Top 200 package comes with ABC, ESPN, TNT, ESPN, and NBA TV, which covers every channel for national NBA game broadcasts. With a satellite company like DISH, there won't be any glitches or buffering come game time. True, it's expensive at $89.99 a month and requires a two-year contract, but the reliability and coverage might be worth it.
But even though DISH has awesome NBA coverage on its own, you'll still run into blackouts and restrictions for out-of-market games unless you add NBA League Pass to your subscription.
Not convinced with DISH but not ready to cut the cord?
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NBA League Pass costs $199 a season for access to all out-of-market games. With League Pass and DISH's cable channels, you'll be able to watch every NBA game. DISH also offers NBA Team Pass, which gets you every game from one NBA team for $119.
We know it's impossible to watch all that basketball live, but DISH has got you covered with its Hopper 3 DVR. It can record 16 shows simultaneously, which might sound a little extravagant right now, but ask again when there are multiple games tipping off at the same time every night.
Best value: Sling TV
Price: Starts at $35/mo.**
NBA channels: ESPN, TNT, NBA TV, and NBA League Pass
Availability: Out-of-market games, in-market games with bundled HD antenna
Pros
- Low price
- Customizable packages
- No commitment
Cons
- Poor local channel coverage
- DVR for extra cost
Sling TV is one of the most affordable streaming services on the market and one of the cheapest ways to watch NBA games. With packages starting at just $35 a month, rotating special deals, and a seven-day free trial, Sling TV is quite a steal.
While the price is a no-brainer, figuring out which package you want is a bit harder. The channel breakup isn't always logical, so you'll need to check each package for each channel you want.
We suggest you start by looking at the basic Orange package (which includes TNT and ESPN) for $35 a month, and consider adding the $10 Sports Extra package to get NBA TV. For full NBA coverage, you can also subscribe to NBA League Pass or NBA Team Pass within Sling TV for $28.99 or $17.99 per month, respectively.
Pro tip: If you're willing to spend a little more, the Orange + Blue package has its perks. You get more channels and four included streams. It costs a little more at $45 a month, but it might be worth it to avoid fighting over what to watch.
One major downside of Sling TV is that it doesn't have ABC. While it doesn't seem that important right now, no ABC will kill you in the postseason. NBA Championship, anyone?
To be fair, Sling TV does try to make up for its lack of local offerings by giving you a free antenna with your subscription. Once this antenna is set up, you should be able to get your local ABC affiliate. It's a serviceable workaround, but we still think it'd be nice if ABC was already included.
When it comes to extra features, Sling TV is a little bare-bones. The Orange package has just one stream, and the DVR costs extra. We do think the Game Finder feature is pretty cool—it finds every game currently available for streaming—but it doesn't make up for only one stream.
Best for cord-cutters: YouTube TV
Price: $64.99/mo.
NBA channels: ABC, ESPN, TNT, NBA TV, and NBA League Pass
Availability: In-market and out-of-market games
Pros
- Includes local channels
- No hardware needed
Cons
- Expensive for cord-cutters
- No Team Pass access
YouTube TV is our top-rated live TV streaming service, and for NBA fans, the provider has a lot to offer.
YouTube TV's base package includes all of the channels you'll need for major NBA broadcasts (ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV) and offers NBA League Pass as an optional add-on for $28.99 per month. Unlike Sling TV, YouTube TV has in-app local channel support and doesn't need an antenna or third-party provider.
You can record any games you miss on YouTube TV's unlimited DVR, which saves recordings for up to nine months. The service also has a spoiler feature that can hide final scores or live previews before you start watching saved games.
But with all these features, YouTube TV is among the pricier cord-cutter replacements at $64.99 per month. The streaming service also lacks an in-app subscription option for Team Pass, which can save you money if you don't want every single NBA game.
Best for out-of-market games: NBA League Pass
Price: Starts at $28.99/mo.
Availability: 40 out-of-market games/week
Pros
- Access to out-of-market games
Cons
- Bang for your buck
- Subject to blackout restrictions
- No extra channels
NBA League Pass can get you access to every NBA game this season, but it's not as simple as you might think.
The greatest benefit of the NBA League Pass is live access to all games outside your local area. However, the service will not get you live access to your local team or nationally broadcasted games like the NBA Playoffs or NBA Finals. You can watch these games on demand three hours after they air, but that sure seems like a long wait to us.
NBA League Pass is a godsend if your favorite team is far away but kind of useless if you want to cheer on the local players right at tipoff. But you have another option: get NBA League Pass and a VPN. That way, you can have the best of both worlds.
What is a VPN? A VPN is a virtual private network that allows you to mask the geographical location of the IP address you're using.
If you just want to get all the out-of-market games, then NBA League Pass costs $28.99 per month If you want to upgrade to no commercials, you can jump up to $39.99 per month for the season. With a NBA League Pass subscription, you can also watch games through the NBA mobile app.
NBA Team Pass, which lets you get every non-blackout game for one team, offers savings at $17.99 per month. The NBA offers a Single Game Pass for $6.99 if you want to watch a specific game.
While NBA League Pass only gets you the NBA, it does also offer on-demand access to some of the great basketball moments in history with their NBA Hardwood Classics program. You can relive great moments like Michael Jordan's 63-point game vs. the Boston Celtics or Kobe Bryant's 81-point game vs. the Toronto Raptors anytime, even during the off-season.
Final take
All the services we mentioned will get you access to plenty of NBA games—it just depends on your focus.
For us, DISH snags first place by offering the easiest way to get every game when you combine it with League Pass.
Sling TV offers cheaper options with pretty good NBA coverage, while YouTube TV includes extensive features in a pricier package.
And if you're willing to combine League Pass with a VPN, you can get a pretty satisfactory setup come game time too.
It just comes down to what you want. But no matter which service you choose, we know it'll have you ready for tip-off.
How to Watch the NBA FAQ
Where can I watch free NBA basketball games?
There are a couple ways to get free access to NBA games. You can start by taking advantage of free trial periods. Try out a few streaming services like Sling TV—you'll get free access to the NBA for the five or seven days they offer.
The other kind of free way to get the NBA is to make a one-time purchase of an HD antenna (not free, we know) and then you can get locally broadcast NBA games and the postseason for free.
Can I watch NBA games without cable?
There are several of options to watch NBA without cable. We suggest you take a look at Sling TV or YouTube TV. You can also get some NBA games with the help of an HD antenna. Simply purchase the HD antenna, hook it up, and you'll be able to pick locally broadcast games over the air.
Sling TV or YouTube TV not right for you? Check out our guide to streaming sports for more options.
How much is NBA TV?
NBA TV is a channel included in most TV providers' higher-priced plans. The channel is also available for $3.99 per month or $29.99 annually as an add-on with NBA League Pass and NBA Team Pass subscriptions. Though, you can also purchase NBA TV as a standalone subscription for $6.99 per month or $59.99 annually.
Does Hulu have NBA TV?
Hulu + Live TV does not offer NBA TV or NBA League Pass. It does have ABC, ESPN, and TNT, though, so you can get some NBA coverage—just not the actual channel.
Can I watch NBA on Amazon Prime?
You can get live NBA games by adding NBA League Pass to your Amazon Prime membership. It usually costs $199 a season, but will add the NBA games right to your Prime Video account.
This will give you access to live out-of-market games and nationally or locally broadcast games three hours later.
Why are there blacked-out games on NBA TV?
Games are blacked out on NBA TV when they're already being aired by a local channel in your area. Because the local channel has the rights to air the game, NBA TV has a blackout.
Can I bypass game blackouts?
You can bypass game blackouts, but let us first say, it's probably easier to just get the local channel. If you want to bypass a games blackout, you're going to need to sign up for a VPN.
A VPN, or virtual private network, connects your internet service with a different network. This allows your computer to connect to a different region where the blackout restriction does not apply.
How can I watch the NBA All-Star Game?
The best way to stream all of All-Star Weekend is with the Sling Orange package for $35 per month or YouTube TV, which get you both ESPN and TNT for less than the typical cable package.
Methodology
Our sports-minded experts conducted approximately 40 hours of research and hands-on testing to determine the best ways to watch the latest NBA season. We compared TV plans and prices by examining channel lineups, hidden fees, and extra features. To learn more about our methods, check out our How We Rank page.
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
*For 24 months with a 2-year agreement and eAutoPay
**Sports Extra adds $10 a month
What Channel Is the Nba Game on Sling
Source: https://www.cabletv.com/blog/how-to-watch-nba-games